Safe Haven Service provides an additional resource out of hours and an alternative to the hospital emergency department for people experiencing a crisis with their mental health.

Safe Haven referral line is open 7 days a week from 11.30am to 9.30pm. 

We are open for self-referrals and can provide face to face one to one, group and phone support. Please access Safe Haven that is nearest to you by calling referral line on the day you would like to access support. We might not have a space if people arrive at the venue without calling ahead.

• Phone: 01865 903 037
• Email: osh@oxfordshiremind.org.uk
• Website: www.oxfordshiremind.org.uk/support-for-you/safe-haven/

Urgent mental health support is now available by text message to people of all ages across Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

The service offers free, confidential, 24/7 support via text message for anyone struggling to cope.

Anyone experiencing anxiety, stress, loneliness, depression, self-harm, suicidal thoughts, or other mental health challenges can use the service by texting the word ‘SUNRISE’ to 85258 at any time of day or night.

Website: 24/7 Text Service for Mental Health Support

This support is now being provided by NHS 111.

Dial 111 and you will be taken via a number of push button options through to a health care advisor who will discuss your situation with you and pass your call on to a health care professional if it is appropriate to do so.

• Phone: 111

Offer emotional support and a listening ear 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

• Phone: 0330 094 5717 (Local Charges Apply)
• Freefone: 116 123 (Free from any phone)
• Website: www.samaritans.org/branches/oxford

• Oxfordshire Domestic Abuse Line: 0800 731 0055
• National Domestic Abuse Line (Open 24/7): 0808 200 0247
• Reducing the Risk: reducingtherisk.org.uk
• Men’s Advice Line – for male survivors of domestic abuse: 0808 801 0327
• National LGBT and Domestic Abuse Line: 0800 999 5428

At Turning Point we know that drugs and alcohol can affect many areas of your life and successful treatment start with being there. We get to know you as a person, to understand what it is that you need to help you turn your life around. We work closely with other organisations in the county to ensure that help is there when you need it.

• Phone: 01865 261 690
• Website: www.turning-point.co.uk/services/oxfordshire

Emotional and specialist information for those affected by mental health problems.

• Phone: 0300 304 7000 (4pm to 10pm)
• Email: info@saneline.org

For support and information about various services available in Oxfordshire.

• Phone: 01865 247 788
• Website: www.oxmindguide.org.uk/directory

Supporting those under the age of 35 thinking about suicide and those who may be worried about someone.

• Phone: 0800 068 4141
• Text: 07786 039 967
• 9am to midnight, Monday to Friday

Shout is the UK’s first and only free, confidential, 24/7 text messaging support service for anyone who is struggling to cope.

• Text: 85258 (24 hours a day, 7 days a week)
• Website: giveusashout.org

For people over 55 years of age, free confidential helpline, working in partnership with Age UK, to offer people over 55 years of age telephone friendship.

• Phone: 0800 470 8090 (24 hours a day, every day)
• Website: www.thesilverline.org.uk

Helpline for LGBT+ people to talk confidentially about anything that is on your mind, support people with a range of questions, whether this be for information or just to have someone to talk to.

• Phone: 0300 330 0630 (10am to 10pm, every day)
• Email: chris@switchboard.lgbt

The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM) is leading a movement against suicide, the single biggest killer of men under 45 in the UK and the cause of 18 deaths every day.

Helpline for men in the UK who are down, have hit a wall for any reason, who need to talk or find out information and support.

• Phone: 0800 58 58 58 (5pm to midnight, every day)
• Website: www.thecalmzone.net

SupportLine aimed at those who are isolated, at risk, vulnerable and victims of any form of abuse.

SupportLine specialises in providing emotional support for adult survivors of childhood sexual abuse and anyone who has been raped/sexually assaulted.

• Phone: 01708 765 200
• Website: www.supportline.org.uk

A website for those who have been newly diagnosed with a Personality Disorder to help them understand their diagnosis, have a place where there is a pool of resources and information around PD, discover where to find help, learn how to manage crisis, develop new coping skills, learn about treatment options and to hear from those with lived experience who you can relate to.

• Website: pdandme

We are a small, dedicated, 100% survivor-led and run charity offering local, regional, national as well as international support around self-harm.

• Website: www.battle-scars-self-harm.org.uk

Online adult peer support groups:

• Zoom: Virtual support groups

Having good mental health helps us relax more, achieve more and enjoy our lives more. We have expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental health and wellbeing.

• Website: www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters

Explains what suicidal feelings are, and what you can do if you feel suicidal. Also covers the causes, treatments and support options for suicidal feelings.

• Website: Mind: About suicidal feelings

If you experience a condition that is affecting your mental health and are looking for specific information about different types of problems, then the ‘workbooks’ or sets of modules in this section may be relevant to you.

We strongly encourage you to talk to your local doctor or a mental health professional about your difficulties as the information provided in the resources are NOT a substitute for proper diagnosis or treatment by an appropriate health professional.

• Website: Looking after yourself

Recovery College offers opportunities to learn about mental health and recovery by providing a unique curriculum designed to support people to recognise their own resourcefulness, talents and skills in order to become experts in their own self-care, make informed choices and achieve the things they want in life.

The Recovery College aims to bring people together to realise and inspire individual and collective potential, recognising strengths and successes so that you can help take control back and become an expert in your own wellbeing and recovery and live the life that you wish to live.

• Website: www.oxfordshirerecoverycollege.org.uk

Services now include: activity groups, peer support, older adults’ services, befriending, employment support, counselling, young people’s counselling and well-being and education training.

• Website: www.oxfordshiremind.org.uk

Lindengate is a Buckinghamshire-based registered charity that offers specialised gardening activities to help those with mental health needs in their continuing recovery.

• Website: www.lindengate.org.uk

Simply Walk is part of a countywide programme of free, volunteer – led walks, which aims to help people get outdoors and be more active. The walks are all sociable and you don’t need any special equipment to join in, just comfortable shoes.

• Website: Simply walk

Restore is an Oxford based mental health charity that supports people to take control of their recovery, develop skills and lead meaningful lives. They offer recovery groups as well as training and employment coaching.

• Website: www.restore.org.uk

Maytree is a registered charity helping people in suicidal crisis in a non-medical setting. They offer support for people in suicidal crisis 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

They have a respite centre which offers a free 4-night/5-day stay, and the opportunity to be befriended and heard in complete confidence, without judgement and with compassion and warmth.

• Phone: 020 7 263 7070 (10am to 6pm, every day)
• Website: www.maytree.org.uk

CBT based website used by Healthy Minds Primary care service.

Teaches a range of life skills that are based on the tried and trusted CBT approach, to aim to improve wellbeing and resilience as you go through the journey of life.

• Website: www.llttf.com

Telephone line and website supporting suicide prevention, offers support for the person feeling suicidal, those supporting someone feeling suicidal and professionals.

• Website: www.papyrus-uk.org

This is a directory of services, apps and other help available to anyone who is worried about their own mental health and well-being or that of a friend or relative.

It provides a database that can be easily searched and navigated so that people with a mental health problem can access the support they need.

• Website: www.oxmindguide.org.uk

Booster buddy is a virtual app with an animal friend to help manage your mental health. Each day, you check in with how you’re feeling, and then complete a number of daily ‘quests’ designed to establish and sustain positive habits.

• Website: Booster Buddy
• Android and Apple

Breathe2relax is a stress management tool. It provides detailed information on the effects of stress on the body, and instructions and exercises to help manage stress using diaphragmatic breathing.

• Website: Breathe-2-relax
• Android and Apple

 The Calm app is something designed to help you sleep more, stress less & live better. Please note that there is a brief free trial for using this app available followed by a monthly cost.

• Website: www.calm.com
• Android, Apple and desktop

Learn to surf the wave using five minute rule or fifteen minute rule with activities suggested by the app in sections such as; comfort, distract, express yourself, release.

• Website: Calm Harm
• Android and Apple

Modules on Mindfulness, emotion regulation, relations (Goal orientation, relationship orientation, self-respect orientation), Distress tolerance, Validation (Self, other and to acquire), Diary Card.

• Android

Headspace has one mission: to improve the health and happiness of the world and with millions of users in more than 190 countries, we’re well on our way. Headquartered in Santa Monica, California, we also have offices in San Francisco and London. You can try headspace for yourself and learn the essentials of meditation and mindfulness with our free Basics course.  Please note that there is a brief free trial for using this app available followed by a monthly cost.

• Website: www.headspace.com
• Android and Apple

Mindshift is designed to help you cope with anxiety. It includes strategies or making sleep count, riding out intense emotions, perfectionism, test anxiety, social anxiety, performance anxiety, worry, panic, and conflict.

• Website: Mindshift
• Android and Apple

Moodfit is a companion to help you achieve your goals. Track your mood, to see what can cause it to lift and drop. Understand how sleep and exercise affect you and more.

• Website: www.getmoodfit.com
• Android and Apple

Omvana provides meditations tracks for focus, sleep, peace and more. It can be great for relaxing and practising meditation and mindfulness.

• Website: www.omvana.com
• Android and Apple

Panic shield can help train your minds not to be afraid of the sensations your typically associate with panic attacks, and not to fear external situations or activities that you avoid in case they trigger a panic attack. It also contains a paced breathing tool which can help you to calm down when you begin to feel particularly anxious.

• Website: www.panicshield.org
• Android and Apple

Developed by Grassroots suicide Prevention this app is described as a ‘Pocket suicide prevention resource.

Tools to stay safe, Finding help now, identifying signs of suicide if you are worried about someone, self-help ideas, breathing exercises and many others.

• Website: Stay Alive
• Android and Apple

Sleepio is an online sleep improvement programme for people living in Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. It has been clinically proven to help you fall asleep faster, stay asleep through the /night, and give you more energy during the day if you follow the programme correctly.

• Website: Sleepio
• Android and Apple

CBT based digital therapy tools designed by experts to help stop negative thought patterns, discover patterns in mood (observe how moods change by tracking them over time), reduce stress and help those using Woebot to start to feel better.

• Website: Woe Bot Health
• Android and Apple

At Survivor Space Oxfordshire, we are dedicated to supporting survivors of sexual abuse, rape, and harassment. They provide a safe, inclusive space where individuals can find the care, resources, and empowerment they need to heal and rebuild their lives.

• Website: www.survivorspace.org.uk

We know male sexual abuse has profound effects on those who experience it and can deeply affect their mental health and relationships.

• Website: www.survivorsuk.org

Family and friends can be good people to talk to but, for many reasons, you might want to find another sympathetic ear. Our Bereavement Support Volunteers (BSVs) have experience of helping people through grieving; they have been trained to listen and help you work your way through the emotional work of grief.

• Website: www.oxfordcruse.co.uk

Oxford Women’s Counselling Centre are committed to providing a professional counselling service in a supportive environment for women of Oxfordshire where, with the help of our women counsellors, they can explore the pattern of their lives, and consider alternative perspectives and ways of thinking.

• Phone: 01865 725 617
• Website: www.oxwcc.co.uk

If you are interested in receiving counselling at OMCS, we will arrange an introductory session to find out what your needs are and whether we can provide the counselling which is appropriate for you.

• Phone: 07593 851 496
• Website: www.omcs.org.uk

Our counsellors, coaches, cognitive behaviour therapists and hypnotherapists are all fully trained. They receive ongoing support and supervision. We know that everyone is an individual so we are pleased to be able to offer a wide range of therapies and modalities so we can suit your needs.

• Phone: 01865 403 221
• Website: www.oxfordcounsellingcentre.com 

The Listening Centre provides low-cost counselling to people who are otherwise unable to afford it.

• Phone: 01865 794 794
• Website: www.thelisteningcentre.org.uk

Our team can support you through life’s challenges from the complex to the every-day situations you find yourself in. You may be facing homelessness, unable to keep up with rent payments, need someone to accompany you to an important meeting that could affect your future or need advice to complete a form for benefits.

• Website: www.connectionsupport.org.uk

Elmore Community Services has over twenty years’ experience of providing flexible floating support to people in the Oxfordshire area. We will work with you by supporting you to link with the local services that you need and work towards gaining stability in your life.

• Website: www.elmorecommunityservices.org.uk

Can help with creating budgeting tools, your rights, explaining debt relief orders etc. Advice line is open on weekdays 9:30am to 4:30pm.

• Phone: 0344 245 1289
• Website: www.citizensadvice.org.uk

They offer free debt advice and practical debt solutions; debt management plans, debt relief orders, Individual voluntary arrangements, bankruptcy advice.

• Phone: 0800 138 1111 or 0800 054 6734
• Website: www.stepchange.org

Open Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm, Saturday 8am to 4pm

*We know it’s hard to access benefits. Often the media, or other people’s views, makes it feel like there’s a stigma attached to benefits. Some people have misconceptions about why we need benefits, and what they’re used for.

For many of us with mental health problems, it can feel like the whole benefits system isn’t designed to meet our needs.

But it’s important to know that benefits are there to support you. You have a right to claim them if you’re struggling to manage or just need that bit extra.

And even though the system is hard to navigate, there are lots of places where you can get support and information to help you with your claim. The information on this page might help get you started.

Website: Information support and tips for everyday living

If you’re struggling with benefits, you can contact our welfare benefit helpline on 0300 222 5782.

Monday to Friday, 9am – 5pm (excluding Bank Holidays)